Copyright © 2016. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.

Photo by Dave Kenas

A brother-sister combo from Cincinnati joined a third Cincinnati resident into the ITF quarterfinals with all winning straight-set matches at the 49th Annual ASICS Easter Bowl being played this week at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Seventeen-year-old John McNally, the No. 4-seeded player in the Boys’ ITF singles, beat unseeded Jake Van Emburgh, 7-5, 6-2, to make the elite eight at one of the biggest junior tournaments in the nation. Meanwhile, John’s 15-year-old sister Caty, the No. 9 seed, was handling business by beating unseeded Ann Li, 6-2, 6-2.

Last year as a 14-year-old wild card entry, McNally shocked everyone with a second-round upset over the top-seed and a world-ranked Top 10 player, Usue Arconada.

Both McNally’s decided to forgo coming to California for two full weeks, pulling out of the Carson USTA International Spring Championships last week and deciding to focus their attention on the ASICS Easter Bowl.

The rest has paid off as the pair also advanced to the ITF in their respective divisions in the doubles, as well. John’s doubles partner, the No. 2-seeded J.J. Wolf, also hails from Cincinnati. Wolf, who beat unseeded Sangeet Sridhar, 6-2 6-2, was one of seven out of the eight singles quarterfinalist who are seeded with Gianni Ross the only non-seeded player to advance.

After temperatures reached 100 degrees on Wednesday, things cooled off on Thursday as clouds covered the sky and there was a threat of rain for most of the day. Caty said the windy conditions didn’t bother her, even though she didn’t get a chance to play in it last week in Carson.

“I really wasn’t worried about the wind because I’ve played in the wind like a million times,” McNally said, adding she still remembers the court she beat Arconada on last year. “I remember most everything about that match,” she said. “It’s been very positive this year for me thinking a lot about that.”

Both McNally’s will face tough tasks in the quarterfinals on Friday as John faces last week’s Carson winner Liam Caruana and Katy plays top-seeded Maria Mateas.

Last year’s finalist Sam Riffice beat a familiar foe in Keenan Mayo on Thursday, 6-2, 6-4. Riffice said after the match the two grew up in the same Roseville, Calif., neighborhood.

Riffice, the No. 5-seed, faces 2015 ASICS Easter Bowl finalist Nathan Ponwith of Scottsdale, Ariz., in the quarterfinals. It will be a rematch of a back draw match Riffice won in three sets in Kalamazoo last year at the 18s National Hardcourts.

Also making both the singles and doubles quarterfinals is last week’s Carson doubles champion Ena Shibahara, who will play for Stella Sampras-Webster at UCLA in the fall. Shibahara, from Palos Verdes Estates, Calif., advanced in doubles with her first-time partner Michaela Gordon. Last week, Shibahara won Carson playing with Hurricane Tyra Black. Shibahara-Gordon face the team of Black and McNally on Friday.

When asked to speak with her after match, Shibahara asked if it was about her singles or her doubles. That tells you how much she values doubles. “I come from a family of five and we were always playing doubles,” she said. “And I love my volleys.”

In the boys’ 16s singles final starting at 9 a.m., it will be top-seeded Carson Haskins of Ballwin, Mo., taking on No. 11 Lukas Greif of Evansville, Ind.

In the girls’ 16s singles final starting at 9 a.m., No. 7 Angelica Blake of Boca Raton, Fla., takes on No. 8 Abigail Forbes of Raleigh, N.C.

In the Boys’ 16s doubles final the top-seeded Texas pairing of Trey Hilderbrand (San Antonio) and Kevin Zhu (Pearland) defeated the Southern California team of Brandon Nakashima (San Diego) and Jake Sands (Pacific Palisades), 8-2. In the Girls’ 16s doubles final, the Southern team of Chloe Beck (Watkinsville, Ga.) and Emma Navarro (Charleston, S.C.) won the title by beating Blake (Boca Raton, Fla.) and Reilly Tran (Dunn Loring, Va.), 8-5.

To keep up with all the ASICS Easter Bowl news, visit the website at www.easterbowl.com and check out the tournament on Facebook (www.facebook.com/EasterBowl) and Twitter (@easterbowl). For more information on ASICS, check out: www.ASICSAmerica.com and follow on Twitter @ASICSAmerica.

Boys’ ITF Singles (Round of 16)
John MCNALLY (USA) [4] def. Jake VAN EMBURGH (USA) 7-5 6-2
Nathan PONWITH (USA) [3] def. Andres ANDRADE (ECU) [14] 6-3 6-4
Vasil KIRKOV (USA) [6] def. Alexandre ROTSAERT (USA) [11] 6-3 6-2
Gianni ROSS (USA) def. Kyrylo TSYGURA (USA) 6-0 6-3
Trent BRYDE (USA) [13] def. Keegan SMITH (USA) 5-7 6-0 6-3
Sam RIFFICE (USA) [5] def. Keenan MAYO (USA) 6-2 6-4
J.J. WOLF (USA) [2] def. Sangeet SRIDHAR (USA) 6-2 6-2
Liam CARUANA (ITA) [10] def. Zeke CLARK (USA) [7] 6-3 6-1

Boys’ ITF Doubles (Round of 16)
John MCNALLY (USA) / J.J. WOLF (USA) [1] def. Olukayode AYENI (USA) / Sean HILL (USA) 6-3 6-2
Amit BATTA (USA) / Bryce PEREIRA (USA) def. Jarod HING (USA) / Keegan SMITH (USA) 3-6 6-0 [10-7]
Vasil KIRKOV (USA) / Sebastian KORDA (USA) def. Robert LOEB (USA) / Nathan PERRONE 3-6 6-0 [10-7]
Alexander BROWN (USA) / Sean SCULLEY (USA) def. Trent BRYDE (USA) [7] / Patrick KYPSON (USA)  6-4, 6-3
Gianni ROSS (USA) / Alexandre ROTSAERT (USA) [8] def. Aleksandar KOVACEVIC (USA) / Sebastian MERMERSKY 6-7 (4), 6-3, [10-8]
Oliver CRAWFORD (USA) [3] / Brandon HOLT (USA) def. Dominic BARRETTO (USA) / Paul BARRETTO 6-4, 6-0
Nathan PONWITH (USA) / Jake VAN EMBURGH (USA) [6] def. Brandon LAM (USA) / Cody LIN (USA) 1-6 6-2 [10-8]
Caleb CHAKRAVARTHI (USA) / Gui GOMES (USA) def. Austen HUANG (USA) / Jason LUI (USA) 6-1 6-3

Girls’ ITF Singles (Round of 16)
Maria MATEAS (USA) [1] def. Abigail DESIATNIKOV (USA) [14] 6-4 6-4
Alexandra SANFORD (USA) [8] def. Sabina DADACIU (USA) 6-4 6-3
Ellie DOUGLAS (USA) [13] def. Emma HIGUCHI (USA) 6-4 7-6(8)
Ena SHIBAHARA (USA) def. Rachel LIM (USA) 6-2 6-1
Michaela GORDON (USA) [4] def. Sofia SEWING (USA) 6-1 6-4
Hanna CHANG (USA) def. Nicole MOSSMER (USA) 6-2 6-1
Caty MCNALLY (USA) [9] def. Ann LI (USA) 6-2 6-2
Marlee ZEIN (USA) def. Elysia BOLTON (USA) 3-6 6-4 6-3

Girls’ ITF Doubles (Round of 16)
Hurricane Tyra BLACK (USA) [2] / Caty MCNALLY (USA) def. Alexis MILUNOVICH (USA) / Anna ROGERS 6-1 7-5
Meible CHI (USA) / Alexis NELSON (USA) def. Maria MATEAS (USA) / Alexandra SANFORD [1] 6-1 6-2
Victoria EMMA (USA) [6] / Sofia SEWING (USA) def. Morgan COPPOC (USA) / Annette GOULAK  7-6(5) 6-2
Kate PAULUS (USA) / Alana SMITH (USA) def. Camille FAVERO (USA) / Darya POSSOKHOVA 7-6(4) 3-6 [10-4]
Nicole CONARD (USA) / Malkia MENGUENE (USA) def. Dalayna HEWITT (USA) [8] / Karia PIERRE-LOUIS 6-7(5) 7-5 [10-7]
Devon JACK (USA) / Kalani SOLI (USA) def. Carson BRANSTINE (USA) / Taylor JOHNSON [5] 7-6(9) 6-4
Elysia BOLTON (USA) / Chiara LOMMER (USA) def. Helen Abigail ALTICK (USA) [3] / Jade LEWIS 2-6 6-2 [10-7]
Michaela GORDON (USA) / Ena SHIBAHARA (USA) def. Ann LI (USA) / Natasha SUBHASH (USA) [7] 7-6(5) 6-1

Boys’ 16 Singles (Semifinal Round)
Carson Haskins (1) (Ballwin, MO) def. Kevin Zhu (3) (Pearland, TX) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
Lukas Greif (11) (Evansville, IN) def. Trey Hilderbrand (5) (San Antonio, TX) 6-0, 7-6(4)

Boys’ 16 Singles Consolation (Third Round)
Ajai Shekhera (9) (Campbell, CA) def. Bill Duo (Portage, MI) 7-6(4), 6-1
Siddharth Chari (Saratoga, CA) def. Jenson Brooksby (15) (Carmichael, CA) 6-2, 6-3
Nevin Arimilli (10) (Austin, TX) def. Axel Nefve (Hinsdale, IL) Wo (ill)
Tyler Zink (Bradenton, FL) def. Maximilian Wild (Murrieta, CA) 7-6, 7-6
Drew Baird (7) (Holly Springs, NC) def. Bradley Frye (14) (Overland Park, KS) 5-7, 6-3, 10-3
Brandon Nakashima (8) (San Diego, CA) def. Brandon Wong (Mercer Island, WA) 6-2, 6-3
William Grant (Boca Raton, FL) def. Matthew Rodriguez (Highland Beach, FL) Wo (ill)
Benjamin Gollin (Solana Beach, CA) def. Michael Sun (Livingston, NJ) 6-4, 7-6(3)

Boys’ 16 Singles Consolation (Quarterfinal Round)
Ajai Shekhera (9) (Campbell, CA) def. Siddharth Chari (Saratoga, CA) 6-4, 6-2
Tyler Zink (Bradenton, FL) def. Nevin Arimilli (10) (Austin, TX) 6-3, 3-6, 10-7
Drew Baird (7) (Holly Springs, NC) def. Brandon Nakashima (8) (San Diego, CA) 3-6, 6-4, 10-6

Boys’ 16 Singles (Playoff Semifinal)
Jaycer Lyeons (6) (San Antonio, TX) def. Adam Neff (Bradenton, FL) 1-6, 7-5, 10-8
Robert Maciag (4) (Sterling, VA) def. Christian Alshon (2) (Boca Raton, FL) 1-6, 6-3, 10-4

Boys’ 16 Doubles (Final Round)
Trey Hilderbrand (San Antonio, TX) / Kevin Zhu (1) (Pearland, TX) def. Brandon Nakashima (San Diego, CA) / Jake Sands (Pacific Palisades, CA) 8-2

Boys’ 16 Doubles (Playoff)
Christian Alshon (Boca Raton, FL) / Henry Patrick Cacciatore (6) (Tampa, FL) def. Axel Nefve (Hinsdale, IL) / William Woodall (Washington, DC) Walkover (injury)

Girls’ 16 Singles (Semifinal Round)
Angelica Blake (7) (Boca Raton, FL) def. Rachel Eason (6) (Union City, CA) 6-1, 6-2
Abigail Forbes (8) (Raleigh, NC) def. Hailey Baptiste (Takoma Park, MD) 6-2, 5-7, 6-1

Girls’ 16 Singles Consolation (Third Round)
Alexa Noel (12) (Summit, NJ) def. Vanessa Ong (Oklahoma City, OK) 6-3, 6-2
Emma Navarro (Charleston, SC) def. Kacie Harvey (3) (Braintree, MA) 6-0, 3-0 Ret (inj)
Ivana Corley (Albuquerque, NM) def. Luba Vasilyuk (Frisco, TX) 6-3, 6-1
Carolyn Campana (Hillsborough, CA) def. Sedona Gallagher (1) (Henderson, NV) 6-2, 2-6, 11-9
Julia Deming (Fallbrook, CA) def. Amber O’Dell (2) (New Milford, NJ) 2-6, 7-5, 10-5
Meg Kowalski (5) (La Grange, IL) def. Alexis Merrill (Fairfax, VA) 6-4, 4-6, 10-7
Cali Jankowski (10) (Carlsbad, CA) def. Gabriella Price (Montebello, NY) 7-6(5), 6-2
Jillian Taggart (Fair Oaks, CA) def. Dasha Kourkina (11) (Brooklyn, NY) 7-5, 6-7(8)

Girls’ 16 Singles Consolation (Quarterfinal Round)
Alexa Noel (12) (Summit, NJ) def. Emma Navarro (Charleston, SC) 6-4, 7-6(5)
Carolyn Campana (Hillsborough, CA) def. Ivana Corley (Albuquerque, NM) 2-6, 6-3, 10-4
Meg Kowalski (5) (La Grange, IL) def. Julia Deming (Fallbrook, CA) 6-3, 6-4
Cali Jankowski (10) (Carlsbad, CA) def. Jillian Taggart (Fair Oaks, CA) 6-7(6), 6-2, 10-5

Girls’ 16 Singles (Playoff Semifinal)
Chloe Beck (15) (Watkinsville, GA) def. Katie Volynets (14) (Walnut Creek, CA) 6-2, 6-1
Anika Yarlagadda (16) (West Bloomfield, MI) def. Andrea Cerdan (Bloomfield, NJ) 4-6, 6-0, 10-8

Girls’ 16 Doubles (Final Round)
Chloe Beck (Watkinsville, GA) / Emma Navarro (Charleston, SC) def. Angelica Blake (Boca Raton, FL) / Reilly Tran (Dunn Loring, VA) 8-5

Girls’ 16 Doubles (Playoff)
Hailey Baptiste (Takoma Park, MD) / Meghana Komarraju (Vienna, VA) def. Kolie Allen (Lombard, IL) / Meg Kowalski (1) (La Grange, IL) 8-6

Copyright © 2016. No duplication is permitted without permission from Bob Larson Tennis.